Laser (Disco, Moonbeam?) Nail Art Tutorial

Today I have a tutorial for the ‘Strobe Lights’ part of my Disco Mani from earlier in the week. I suppose you could also call them Lasers or Moonbeams. Ooh, I like Moonbeams – the Moonbeam Mani has kind of a ring to it, don’t you think? Although I don’t think Moonbeams come with a neon option! Can you tell I’m just typing as I think tonight?!

You Will Need

Bright colours for the ‘lasers’. I’m using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Brisk Blue.

Black nail polish. I use W7 Black.

Clear top coat that’s fast drying. This one is Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

Striping tape which you can get on eBay or from online nail art supply stores.

Tweezers. These are optional but I find they come in handy at a few points in this technique.

The Fun Part!

Step 1

Paint on your bright base colour and make sure it is completely dry before moving on to the next step. I normally use a thin coat of quick drying top coat at this point to speed up the process. If your base coat isn’t dry, it will peel off with striping tape later on.

You can stick with one colour for every nail or be a bit adventurous by mixing and matching!

Step 2

Cut a few lengths of striping tape about twice the length of your nail and place them where you want your lasers to be. You can use tweezers for extra precision. Make sure the strips are stuck down right up to the edges of your nails so you get a crisp line.

Step 3

One nail at a time, paint your black polish all over your nail and move straight on to step 4.

Step 4

While your black polish is still wet, carefully remove the striping tape one strip at a time. Use an up and backward motion – I hope I’m explaining this clearly enough but I’d describe it as pulling the tape back on itself. Basically, just pull it off in a straight line and you should be safe. This is a step where tweezers might come in handy for a bit of extra grip on the fiddly tape. We’re nearly done!

Finishing Up

Wait for your black polish to dry and add a top coat to smooth out any bumps and make your mani last longer. Don’t be impatient like I was and apply your top coat too soon else you’ll end up with smears.

To clean up around your cuticles, take a small paint brush and dip it in to acetone or nail polish remover before running it around your cuticles to remove any unwanted bits of polish and leave you with a crisp edge.

Ta-Dah!

All finished! I want to see you all rocking this mani at every disco you attend henceforth!